clayboy54

The issue here has nothing to do with predicting a number of wins or losses, but rather presenting a team in the best light. Do you really think that Sirius has Sal M on the show because he is a world-class guest? Seriously, it is only because he covers the Bills and knows them as "an insider." It is the relationship with the Bills that makes Sal valuable. Therefore, if he spews out junk that folks outside the area already know and believe to be true, then he is both defeating their purpose in having him on, and biting the very hand that feeds him. I had a nice email exchange a year or so ago with Leo Roth about this same topic. Leo was trying to tell me that it didn't matter if he was covering high school sports or Bills stories, he still would do what he does. My contention is that without the Bills, writers like Sal would be covering girls volleyball. How many papers do you sell with lead stories like that? Do you honestly think the D&C would keep paying you what they pay you now to do that? If you do, you are smoking crack. The moral of the story is, you guys (and ladies) need to work hard to put the Bills in a positive light. You got to portray "major-league" to the rest of the country and do what you can to enable the Bills (and other WNY franchaises) to remain profitable and stay in the area. Then and only then, can you talk about sports. If the Bills are gonna suck wind this year, then you find a way to portray that with a positive spin and then say "and by the way they'll likely only win about 5 games this season.." You writers and broadcasters have to think about who's buttering your bread! As we all know, regardless of the outcome of the season, it'll be a heluva lot more fun following the Bills in WNY than it would be in LA.

Your concept is really quite good! Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the production issues. The sound was bad and the interviews couldn't be fully understood at a normal listening level. It looks like you were using a lav, so I'd guess most of that could've been fixed with good post-production. Additionally, the audio levels were all over the place. The lighting in the bar made much of your footage unusable. Not knowing what camera you were shooting with, I would assume it is a consumer camcorder. You either need to light the scenes or open up the iris to make these shots work (if that can be done with your camera). I just can't get over how much darkness there was in your piece. That just kills the whole thing you were trying to do. That said, the concept was absolutely good enough that you should try it again with some changes in production values and I'm sure it would be great. It is obvious to me that you know what you want and can edit a good story. You just need to learn how to get the most out of your production values on the front-end. I hope this helps. Please let us all see the next one!

I moved from Buffalo to Daytona Beach and then 8 years later to Fort Wayne, IN. I miss Bflo and the WNY area immensely, but would likely never return. I miss the food, the sports (especially the Bills), the local music scene, the lakes and rivers, and most importantly the friendly people. None of those things are available in either Florida or Indiana like they were in WNY. However, I do not miss the corrupt government, the horendous taxes and the cost of living that goes with it. Cheap housing? What planet are you living on??? I live in a home in Fort Wayne that would be over half-a-million in Clarence or Orchard Park. I paid $200k. Taxes are pennies on the WNY dollar. I'm 3 hours from Chicago, Detroit, Cinci and 2 hours from Indy, if I miss the big city life. I'm an easy 6 hour drive from the Ralph when I come back, so why would I want to move back? You can, however, send me a Mikes Sub, Super Mighty Taco or bucket of wings every now and then to keep me honest!

My vote goes to: Ted's Hot Dogs but I would settle for Mighty Taco since that seems to be popular.

in LA?

According to ESPN, Jerry Gray has been retained by the Bills as a part of the "new" staff. (see the front page links)

IMO, your perspective is usually well thought out and many times spot on. This time I believe you have missed the boat. The situation with Millen in Detroit doomed Mooch in the Motor City from the start. Parcells couldn't have changed that outcome. The real tragedy is that Mariucci took the job. Now he's burnt out and out of the coaching market. If that didn't tell you a lot about the real situation, nothing could. So much of the basis for success in coaching is all about the environment. One of the brightest aspects of Buffalo's situation is that Levy stresses teamwork and builds winning attitudes. That alone will go a long way in helping any coach be successful here this time. A lot of what is taking place right now will bear this out. The teams with "can-do" attitudes in the office will breed successful coaches on the field. Analyse this in a year and see if you then agree.

I'm still wondering what a "tard" is?

Just my attempt at humor, Matty... My answer is that in today's NFL the 49ers or Texans might be next years champs. So, yes the Bills can compete and be good next year if the groundwork is laid to allow them to be successful at what they are physically capable of. IMO, Marv is a master of putting good to great players in position to win and by getting people to work together for a common cause. Will he hire a coaching staff in his own image? Is there even a candidate available that fills that bill? Do we have enough talent on the roster to make that possible? We'll just have to wait and see who gets hired.

Hey... it's Mike Williams' sister.

uhhhh. We don't even have a coach and staff yet. How can that question be intelligently answered? Oh that's right, intelligence is not a prerequisite around here.

I'll bet they interview a few "mentally challenged" candidates. Is that enough to qualify them as handicapped and therefore as a minority? Oh, nevermind. Jauron has visited Africa and that qualifies.

Who would've thought several weeks ago that Jeff Burris was crying for the Buffalo Bills. How did he know what was about to transpire over the coming weeks? The man's a psychic I tell you... a great fortune teller!

While I am clearly not the genius that many of you are, I think that Haslett would be a near-perfect fit for the Bills. Here's why: 1. He loves Buffalo and has said this would be his dream job. 2. He has head-coaching experience. 3. He is affordable for a small-market team. 4. He is defensive minded which fits well with playing outdoors in Bflo. 5. He knows Ralph and Ralph knows Haslett. No guesswork this time. 6. 2nd time HC opportunities often turn out much better that 1st. 7. Fans loved him and will rally around the Levy/Haslett led team. 8. An experienced HC will be able to attract better assistants that a 1st timer. 9. Players apparently like playing for him. He may not be a high-profile guy with multiple rings, but considering where we're at, he might be the best chance we have for a competitive team right now.

If you remember, Krumrie wanted out when GW was fired. The Bills wouldn't let him out of his contract at the time. In view of the changes, his job performance notwithstanding, he likely wanted out again. No way does Marv allow anyone to stay that wants out... coach or player. My take is that he really didn't want to be here and Marv gives him his wish.

It will be on the Playboy Channel. We'll get to see a bunch of boobs on screen all at one time!

It appears that Marv is being brought in to "oversee" football operations. He is known to think highly of MM. I believe he will be willing to mentor Mularkey and help him realize his potential. That is a novel idea, and the personalities involved make this a very exciting scenario if you ask me. Judging from the warm bodies currently available as head coaching alternatives, I think this might be one of the best decisions Mr Wilson could have made. Modrak and Brandon will do just fine with the rest of the organization.

I still have hopes MM will not be retained. Oh well.

"Old Sparky" was brought out of retirement especially for the occassion.

I don't suspect Mike will have any of the correct answers. But no way will Ralph decide what do do without gathering all the facts. Then, he'll fire his a$$.

Any professional businessman will have a meeting to assess the situation before making decisions and/or changes. Snap judgements and hasty judgements solve nothing. Mr Wilson will meet with the coach, and make his decisions based on all the facts, some of which we do not know. It wasn't prudent to fire Bruce Dehaven immediately after "homerun throwback" because of a single bad play. I for one hope that Ralph takes his time and makes a decision that we all can feel is best for the Buffalo Bills.

Interestingly enough, back when we were last in the GM market, Casserly was the most sought after name available. He was considered by some at the time to be Ron Wolf-like at least on the football side of the job. Donohoe was considered the second most attractive GM candidate. Now, they both are considered utter failures. I find this facinating and curious at the same time. How could so many people be so very wrong about these guys? There has to be more to this than meets the eye. Perhaps the criteria for the job has dramatically changed over the pst 5 years. Or, maybe it hasn't. Just a hunch.

It is just another way to spin a personnel problem. Coachspeak for "we want to put our best 11 players on the field." (and JP ain't one of them in MM's mind) If MM pulls JP now, Ralph won't have to fire him. He'll be burned beyond recognition by the fans. So, suddenly he is injured and may not be able to start. Let's see... Brady was injured Sunday and outrushed "the best back in the NFL." Something is very wrong with this picture. Its a loser's mentality at One Bills Drive. Don't fall for it for a moment!

Why not! That way they could be 4-28

I hope he brings Stew Barber back!